


What Would've Happened

by Panpytaked



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Maybe - Freeform, Nightmares, Non explicit gore, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PTSD, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22775071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panpytaked/pseuds/Panpytaked
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if Duck survived? Or if the crew used concepts that didn't make it into the actual game? Here is a fan fiction that goes through all of season two but with Duck by Clementines side. This story was originally on Wattpad but I moved here. It's going to have an updated writing style and less awkward wording and events, I promise.
Relationships: Clementine/Duck (Walking Dead)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been 16 months since Omid died. Even longer since everyone else. And a lot sooner since Christa’s baby. Duck could feel the tension in the air. The depression. The guilt. He looked over to Christa, who was staring at the fire as it was almost out. Then looked at Clementine, who was sharing a log with him. He knew she was using him as a sort of barrier, some sort of wall between her and Christa. When Omid died trying to get Clementine away from the robber, Christa started blaming her.  
She never said anything but Clementine could feel it. Even he could feel it. The silence was getting to be too much. Someone had to say something, right? And it seemed like Clementine had the same idea. While he was psyching himself up to do it, Clementine opened her mouth first. “Christa, could we talk?”

  
It was a plead, he knew. Nevertheless, Christa took a deep breath and sighed. She got up and moved the fire around with a stick. “Look at this. It’s pathetic,” She then looked at Duck and narrowed her eyes. “You’re older. Shouldn’t you know how to build a fire?”

  
He was surprised she was scolding him right now. “Um… I mean, I was going to learn… I just never had the time. Or we were in too big a hurry to take the time for anyone to teach me. Like when you built this one…” He trailed off, avoiding mentioning Omid. Omid promised to teach him stuff but it obviously never happened.

  
“Well at this rate, Clementine’s gonna learn before you do,” She said and Duck looked to the ground. Should he apologize? “You’re older, Duck. You have a responsibility,” She said and looked back down, shaking her head. By her tone, there wasn’t room to argue.

  
It was true. He did have a responsibility. But he also felt like he and Clementine shared the same sort of responsibilities. It’s kinda like what Chuck said to Lee before he died. “There is no boy or girl”. Except this time, his own mind said “there is no younger or older,”. Then again, maybe it was just finding a justifiable stand against her accusation.

  
Nevertheless, Christa sighed as she got up. “I’m going to look for more wood. One of you keep the fire lit,” She said as she went off into the forest. Duck was the first to get up, looking around for more wood. He guessed Christa would have wanted him to do it more than Clementine anyways.

  
“What’re you doing…?” He heard Clementine ask and he turned to her with a half smile.

  
“I’m finding something to keep the fire going,”

  
“But wouldn’t it make more sense to look in our bags? Everything else is kinda rained on anyways,” Clementine said, not waiting for Duck to make a move as she got up and unzipped her bag. She was looking through, trying to find something with the least amount of sentimental value. “I’ve got a lighter. And a drawing…” She seemed to trail off. He knew why. That picture of Lee just wasn’t an option to burn.

  
“You don’t have to burn your drawing, it was pretty good for an eight year old. Besides, I’m in it,” Duck said, smiling as he looked in his own bag. “But for me?” He said, holding up a crumpled piece of paper. “Let’s just say I was never an artist,” It was a drawing, sure, but it wasn’t really of anything. All it was was black crayon taking up the entire page. Whether that’ll effect the flames or not remains a mystery. “I’m sure I have more somewhere in here…” He said, looking through the bag as Clementine smiled at him.

  
He noticed the smile and smiled back. “What? Keep your eyes to yourself,”

  
“Isn’t that a new saying from an attention seeker? You’re always so flashy it’s usually hard to miss you,”

  
“Flashy? All I do is tell jokes sometimes, dear Clementine. Be a peach and burn this now,” He said, handing her the two pieces of paper he pulled from his bag.

  
“Don’t call me a peach,” She said as she got up and took the paper from his hand more aggressively than needed.

  
“Talk about snappy,” He said as he zipped up his bag and sat on the log, watching her until she finished. The fire went up considerably after that, making Clementine smile at her accomplishment. She turned to him with a face that had the unmistakable aura of ‘I’m better than you’.

  
But before he could respond, they both stopped to listen to voices in the forest. They were close by, so Duck stood from his squatting position and made a move to stand beside Clementine. But then he realized they weren’t coming any closer. In fact, they sounded like they were staying in the same place. And then, Duck realized they were threatening someone.However, it was Clementine who realized who it might be. Because she was the one who started hurrying towards the voices with Duck following closely on her tail.

  
“Where’s that boy?” One of the men demanded, pushing Christa to the middle of the ring.

  
“I-I’m by myself,”

  
“Bullshit!”

  
“She’s lyin!”

  
“Cut the shit, lady,” The last man said, aiming the gun at point blank range.

  
“Why do you even want him?” Christa said. Clementine caught that first question too and she wanted answers but she could get them later. Right now was the time for a distraction before Christa gets shot. Before anyone could stop her, she threw a rock to the side of one of the men’s heads. And when Duck realized he was going to chase them, he pulled her by her hand and ran.

  
“Christa, run!” Duck shouted as he ran in the opposite direction. From the sounds Clementine could hear going on behind them, however, it didn’t sound like she had made it.  
While running past the fire, Clementine tried grabbing her bag but she was too slow and when she looked behind her, she found that they were being followed too closely. She had to leave it behind.

  
“Split up!” Clementine whispered to Duck and ran to the right while he ran left. Clementine ended up behind a tree, waiting for the robber to turn around, hoping that he would give up after not seeing them. Instead, he stalked closer, coming a little too close to her tree than she liked. Then, she heard the man groan in agony and curse at whatever hurt him.

  
“You rotten kid!” There was a beat before he said anything else. “Oh, it’s you. Come with me, will ya?” Clementine looked to the ground, knowing that Duck was doing the same in his panic. She picked up a stick and jumped on the man’s back, plunging it into his eye. He screamed and flung Clementine off his back. She felt Duck’s hands on her in an instant, helping her up before grabbing her hand and running, dodging any zombies they ran into.

  
“You’re not gettin away that easily! Boss is waitin!” Who’s boss? And what do they want with them? All amazing questions with no answer.

  
“Fuck you!” Clementine instead shouted behind them and stopped abruptly with Duck as they neared a cliff. She was about to say something before Duck was grabbed. She held onto his foot, staring the man into his good eye.

  
“You kids are such a hassle!” He shouted. Clementine looked around, looking for another weapon but all she found was zombies quickly surrounding them. Then, she had an idea. And she’s sure Duck was following her mental path. She began pulling with renewed strength towards the cliff’s edge. “You crazy bitch, what’re you doing?!” He shouted at her but she ignored him. She was being aided by Duck as he moved his body more towards her way. Either Duck will break free, the man will let go, or they’ll all fall into the river.

  
It didn’t take long to find out which as she felt her foot slip, which caused her to fall and bring down both Duck and the man. Whatever happened after that? She couldn’t really tell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after falling into the water?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been away and I'm very sorry about that, I will try and update more frequently. Sorry for any misspellings, my keyboard is very wonky rn

Even though Duck was half unconscious, he remembers feeling fear before he woke up. Two concerns flooded his mind as his body tried to come back to the waking world. One: How long before a walker comes along and finds his helpless body? And two: is Clementine with him? They may have fell in the water together but that doesn't mean that they here together. And with that final thought, his consciousness finally caught up with the rest of him, making him groggily survey his surroundings and listen for any walkers. Then relief filled him as he saw the signature traits of his companion. She also seemed to be knocked out so he crawled over to her and shook her to which he got a small groan but no sign of waking up. The fact that she was even alive made him give a small smile. While waiting for her, he looked around and gave out a sigh when he realized that her backpack was nowhere to be found and realized they left it behind. 

"ugh," He heard a sound behind him and smiled because it was Clementine's voice. She rolled over and looked at him with a look of annoyance as he rested on his arm and kept smiling. "What're you smiling for?"

"Well excuse me for trying to be in a good mood, wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Duck responded as she sat up and wiped her eyes. 

"from just a few looks around, I can tell that we're lost," Then she tensed as she looked around frantically. "Where's Christa??" For the first time, Duck was made aware of that problem.

"I... don't know.." He said, his smile falling and letting out another sigh as he looked down. The mood was horrible for a bit until he thought of what to say next. "..Buttt we wont know if we stay here," He said optimistically as he stood and held out his hand for her, which she took reluctantly. "We'll be fine as long as we keep moving, she couldn't of gone much further than we have," Duck continued as he looked at the dock. There wasn't any stairs up which just made this a little harder. 

"Give me a boost," Clementine said as she stood below the dock. "I'm smaller than you so I weigh less," She said and he agreed with a nod and cupped his hands together. She stepped on his hands and pushed herself upward as he tried to lift her just a bit. She then held her hand out for him and he took it as she tried her best to get him up on the dock, which was close cause she almost dropped him. As he got closer to the ledge, he brought his other hand up and started pulling himself up. Clementine backed away and looked around as he finished getting up on the dock. "I don't like these woods," She commented and Duck looked at the woods to see if there's any ay to soothe her concerns. 

"Well, maybe they're not as dense as they look," He offered. "And besides, you're not alone, you have me. I'm rather offended you don't have faith in me," He said and she let out a small laugh. 

"Do you blame me? You're older than me and yet I feel like I'm babysitting you," She said as she started walking, not realizing that her taking the first steps in the woods showed him that he made her feel better, which was his goal the whole time. He followed her with a smile on his face. That confidence didn't last long as he found her looking around more and more, her senses more heightened than he's ever seen them. She's being cautious because of those bandits, hes assuming. He cant blame her. In the end, they both jumped when there was a rustling in the bushes, Duck straightening as he got closer. He didn't have time to find a weapon and could only pray it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he realized it was a dog. It as a pretty dog if not a bit matted and dirty. "Oh hey little guy!" Clementine spoke to it first. She pet the dog and he let her. "Sam,"

"How'd ya know that?" 

"His nametag, doofus," She responded, moving her body over a bit to show him and he crossed his arms. 

"I wasn't asking to be insulted," He said. "I didn't know you liked dogs so much," 

"They're cute but I'm not crazy about them and you never asked," She said. Suddenly the dog barked and ran from them. "Hey, where are you goin?"

"Seems he don't like you,"

"Oh shut up," She said as she started chasing him and Duck ran behind her. It wasn't long until they stumbled upon a small campsite. "You were saying? I think he likes me just fine," 

"Mhmm, I'm sure," Duck said, shaking his head. " I don't think anyone's here and it looks ransacked to hell. Gives me bad vibes,"

"What doesn't give bad vibes?" She said as she started looking around. "doesn't hurt to look for food," She walked to the RV. "You'd think food would be here," She said. Duck looked in a box nearby.

"Nothing edible in here," He said. She tapped his shoulder and showed him a picture. 

"It must've been the family that owned this,"

"I hope they don't mind us looking around," He said, remembering when they stole food which led to Clementine's kidnapping. Suddenly Sam started barking and ran to a tree. 

"Hey, keep it down," Clem said as she walked towards him and Duck followed, seeing what Sam was barking at. It was a walker that was tied to a tree. There was a knife stuck in his arm. "He's dead. He tried cutting out his arm but we both know that never works," She said, seeming to be talking to Duck more than the dog. "We need to stay away but having that knife might be useful," She finally turned to him and Duck nodded. 

"Yeah, it might," He looked further and smiled. "There's a huge stick right there. You just need to whack his head a few times," He said and she followed his instruction, even if it took four times to kill the walker. "Now we can get the knife," He said. "We shouldn't feel bad. It's a mercy killing if anything," He said those words to Clementine but it was to make him feel better too. She nodded and took the knife. Duck turned and looked into a barrel and smiled. "Clementine," He said and she looked at him, not smiling yet. He hates it when she's not smiling. He lifted up the can and shook it, making her eyes light up. That was good. He took the knife and started opening it and then looked at her and the dog. "How to split it.." Then he smiled and dumped a little bit of food into his hand and a little bit of food on the ground for the dog. Finally he gave Clementine the can. They ate and what he didn't intend was for the dog to ask for more. "Hey buddy, we don't have anymore, I finished mine too and Clem's almost done," And then that's when everything happened too fast. The dog launched himself at Clementine, biting her arm and not letting go and Clementine punched him multiple times as Duck tried to find the knife. Once he did, he stabbed the dog in it's back, which made him let go of Clementine only to be then stabbed in the head, killing it. It wasn't a mercy killing but he doubted the dog would've stopped attacking Clementine because it was hungry. He turned to Clem, who was breathing slightly faster and touched her arm, hissing at the contact. 

"Damnit," She said. 

"It's gonna get infected. Here," He said, taking off his flannel. "Imma tie this around but its not gonna help without medicine and stuff," He recalled the things he picked up from his mom and animal bites on other animals aren't anything to mess with so he doubted Clementine's gonna be okay without anything either. "C'mon lets get outta here," He said, walking with her into the forest. It wasn't long till he noticed her stumbling and so he had her put her arm around his shoulders. Which would've been fine had the sound of walkers around them had not increased. "Don't focus on that, Clem, focus on going faster please," 

"I'm... I'm trying.." She said. Oh she did not sound good. Suddenly he was pushed over and Clem came down with him. He was able to turn over and and keep the walker off of him but Clem wasn't a lot of help due to her condition. She still tried to crawl to him. He was worried though. Even if she got the walkers attention, she wasn't fast enough right now. His worries vanished when the walker was shot in the head, stopping it from moving above him. 

"Grab them kids and lets get outta here," He heard a man say and saw someone scoop up Clementine, which made him develop a new fear. Who were these people and where are they taking them?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, thank you guys for the feedback last chapter! I am embarrassed to admit that I forgot a lot about the characters especially Clem and her no swearing lol. One thing I remember trying to do with Duck was having him be the one trying to have everyone be positive since he was the comic relief in the first season. At the same time I do wanna try having him have a short temper like his dad, which you'll see me try and implement in this chapter. If it doesn't work, just tell me lol hope ya'll like it. This should be a longer chapter since I've mostly fixed my keyboard.

Duck ran beside the older guy, as he was instructed to do while the younger one held Clem and ran just slightly in front of them. Eventually, near the ending of the woods, they slowed down and looked back. "I... I think we lost em," The older one said, catching his breath. The younger one looked back once more, also out of breath but that's not surprising since he's carrying Clementine. 

"Yeah, I think we're good," He said then turning his attention back to Clementine. "You okay, kid?"

"I can walk," 

"No she can't," Duck interjected quickly, slightly out of breath and sending a glare her way. "Don't let her tell you otherwise, she's stubborn," The younger one gave a chuckle at that.

"So y'all've known each other for a bit," The younger one said in amusement, which made Duck chuckle a bit himself. 

"Yeah," 

"Well, I suppose now's a good of time as any. I'm Luke and this is Pete,"

"Hey there," The older one said with a smile. "may we ask for your names?" He asked. 

"I'm Clementine and that's Duck," She said, nodding over to him and he smiled at the both of them. 

"Duck?" Luke asked with a hint of amusement. 

"Well yeah! I mean, it's not my real name just a nickname my dad gave me, ya know?" He explained, just a little embarrassed. They spent so long away from other people he almost forgot that that's the reaction most people have to his nickname. 

"Speaking of dads and such, y'all got any parents or any other adult lookin after ya? I have a hard time believin that y'all survived on your own out here all alone," Pete stated. "I just don't want them to find ya'll here and think we're doin' anything but helpin'" He finished. 

"Well we were being watched after by this woman named Christa," Clementine said before Duck could answer. "But we were attacked by this group of men and so we got separated," The tone seemed to shift slightly when she mentioned the men. Duck doesn't know if Clem noticed but he did. 

"These men, did they say they were looking for something or someone?" Luke asked. Duck didn't think it would be wise to bring up that one sentence where they talked about a boss of some kind. So this time, he actually tried to beat Clementine to the punch. 

"I think they were just hungry," Duck said, turning the attention back to him. "We were cooking a lil weasel so it's not far-fetched. Plus I think they took Clem's bag which had some water in it," Duck finished. 

"They really attacked you over a weasel?" Luke said and shook his head. "Damn, that's low.." He said. He seemed to be chewing on the answer for a little bit until he was satisfied and then looked down at Clementine again and smiled. "Well, Clementine, don't you worry. You might be feelin' faint right now but we got a doctor over at out place, okay? He could take a look at you and- Oh shit!!!" 

"What the hell??" Duck shouted as he heard Clementine fall on the ground hard and ran over to her to help her sit up. 

"What?" Pete said in alarm, seeing the look on Luke's face and how he put his hands on the back of his head. 

"She's... She's been bit, man.. Fuck! What do we do??" He said as he started to pace and alarm raised in Duck. 

"No she hasn't! It was a dog bite," 

"I didn't see a dog anywhere, Duck," Pete stated, still having his head. If Clementine wanted medical attention, they'd have to appeal to him. 

"No, it wasn't with us. It was before. We ran into it and it attacked Clementine and..." Suddenly, Duck was hit with a wave of guilt. 

"And what?" Luke asked. 

"...I killed it.." 

"You killed it?? A dog shows up and you kill it?" 

"It attacked me!" Clementine defended him. "I doubt that it would've stopped if Duck let it live," Duck felt anger rise up in him. He would've done the same thing in his situation and he knows it. 

"What would you have done?" Pete asked him and Luke shook his head. 

"I dunno its just... you don't kill dogs.." He said and Pete shook his head. 

"I think if it attacks your friend that bad then it's justified in this environment," Pete said and then looked back at Clementine. "Alright, let's take a look,"

"Watch yourself," Luke said and Duck glared at him. He already doesn't like this guy. In the back of his mind, though, he knows that he's being cautious. "Don't look at me like that,"

"You're being an asshole, I already told you it was a dog," 

"Duck, stop it," Clementine said and Duck just looked at a random spot in the woods after that. He was still pretty angry though as he turned his attention back to Clem's bite and watched Pete examine it. After a moment, he hummed. 

"What?" Luke asked. 

"Well, I'm no expert. It could be a dog bite but the final stay should be on Carlos," Pete said and Luke let out a breath. "Come on then,"

"We're takin her?"

"Well I don't wanna leave two kids in the woods alone. You got any better ideas?" Pete asked and Luke looked down. 

"No," he said. "But I'm not carrying her,"

"Not a problem," Duck said, helping Clementine up and having her lean on him with her arm over his shoulder. "We should be fine. Wouldn't want you to drop her again," 

"Duck.." Clementine sighed weakly, the sting coming completely out of her voice when she was trying to get after him for his passive aggression. Regardless, Duck still dropped it as he moved her to lean on him further. This was way harder than how they made it look in the movies as he shuffled forward. Even then it was easy until she slumped forward, finally passing out and not being able to balance herself. 

"Woah woah, okay okay," Luke said as he ran back towards them and lifted Clementine once again. "She probably weighs just as much as you, huh?"

"She's lighter but I'm not very strong anyways," He said, still holding resentment towards this man. He thought about what would have happened if she and him were separated. She'd of been forced to walk herself, huh? The fact she passed out not even a few steps made him even more angry. It seemed a permanent look of disdain would stay on his face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone was going back and forth with each other as they argued about what to do with Clementine. At this point, Duck's hatred for Luke simmered down but it didn't disappear. Instead, it was directed at two people. The pregnant woman who suggested pointing a gun at Clementine and the man who actually started pointing a gun at Clementine. While she was unconscious nonetheless. Of course he raised hell and if it weren't for Pete, he's sure that they wouldn't of gotten rid of the gun no matter what he said. These people aren't friendly at all and seem to hate their guts. Even though they're arguing over different things while huddled around Clementine, he was still stuck on and angry about the gun situation. Sure, the gun's not in anyone's hands now but the fact they had no problem pointing it at her unconscious body made his blood boil. What if she woke up and was suddenly shot? She'd wake up and die over some trigger happy asshole and then it wouldn't be good for anyone cause he's sure he'd jump the person who shot her. Would he also be shot? Most definitely. Would he care? To some extent but probably not in the moment. Maybe he'd regret it later if he's still alive. 

"...I..." He heard Clementine's voice. She was laying beside him as he sat up and he looked down at her. "Duck.. I need a doctor," She said as she pulled at his shirt. She sounded so weak. He hated it. 

"I know, Clem. They've went inside the house and they're getting him," He said and looked around. Everyone seemed to realize she was awake now. Yet they're still arguing over if they're 'spies'. Spies of what? He wasn't paying attention and he couldn't care less. After all, they're not spies and he has nothing to prove. Neither does she. If they questioned them, their stories would be the same because it's the truth and they can go as far back as they'd like until they're satisfied. Back to Omid, to his dad, to Lee. At some point they'd be satisfied with their backstories, right?

"What're you thinking about?" She said quietly to him and Duck smiled at her. 

"Did I have a face on?" 

"Mhmm," She said and he wanted to respond but before he could, Luke and the doctor came out of the house and walked to the group. The doctor kneeled in front of Clementine and Clementine sat up with her arm close to her body as the doctor held out his hands. 

"Don't you worry, Clem, okay? This is Carlos and he's our doctor. You can trust him," Luke explained and Clementine let the doctor see her arm finally. He removed the cloth from her arm to get a better look and she hissed. He hummed as he looked at it. 

"Well?"

"It's hard to say. It could've been a dog but it's not clear," He stated and Duck felt his stomach drop. If she doesn't get help and soon, she'll die of infection and he cannot help her. "Whatever it was, it got her good," He continued and the man with the hat shook his head with a breath of annoyance. 

"This isn't how we do things, man. You get bit, you get put down, end of story," He started stomping over to Luke.

"Oh yeah, put her down like she's some type of dog, what's wrong with you, you just wanna kill a little girl that bad? You were already so willing to shoot her, why don't you-" Duck was pulled back from his shirt collar by Luke this time. 

"Nobody's suggesting anything, okay?"

"We could take her arm off," Pete suggested and everyone looked at him for a long moment. "I know that worked for a cousin down in Ainsworth, we could try that," Pete continued, justifying his stance. Clem started breathing more quickly and Duck decided to start talking again. She must've been scared outta her mind. 

"I'm sorry, but we had a group before and there was this man that got bit. He cut off his arm thinking it would help but it didn't and he died. I'm not trying to be difficult this time and I'm not saying that she's infected either. I'm saying that cutting off her arm over a dog bite, which I've explained four different times already, is unnecessary and wrong," Duck explained, his heart beating wildly. They're serious and he knows they are. It's not easy to defend yourself to adults who're scared and it feels nearly impossible. All attention went off of him when the door of the house opened and a girl that seemed to be near his age peeked out. 

"Who's she?" The girl asked. 

"Sarah, get in the house. Right now," Carlos said and she went back in the house looking dejected. Carlos looked at Clementine's bite again. 

"Listen," Clementine said. "I know my friend has been a pain but he's just scared for me and angry. I don't want to be anymore trouble so just please help me out and we'll both be out of your hair," She said and Duck felt bad. She was right, he was scared and his anger over how they treat her had not yet settled. 

"Where would you go?" Carlos asked. 

"Well, we'd probably try and find our friend Christa. We were separated. We already told Luke and Pete about it," She said

"Yeah, they did. Bandits that we're hungry raided them and they got separated," Luke recapped and Carlos hummed. 

"Forget it, you won't make it five feet," The hat guy said 

"Look, I may be in the minority here but my gut tells me that they're tellin the truth. It probably is just a dog bite. probably..." Luke finished, seeming to close in on himself near the end. 

"A bite like this could be anything," Carlos said, finally backing away from Clementine and looking back at the group. "There's only one way to find out for sure," 

"How?"

"We wait," Carlos said and Clementine's eyes grew slightly wider while Duck's expression only got more worried. "If the fever sets in by tomorrow then we'll know for sure. In the meantime, we can lock her in the shed,"

"Woah woah woah, hold on," Duck interjected. "That's not necessary,"

"I need medical attention. I need to be stitched and bandaged and like I said, we'll be outta here," Clementine said with panic in her voice. 

"Medical supplies is hard to come by. We don't want to unnecessarily use it on a lurker bite," Carlos said and walked away. 

"I'm sorry, it's the best we're gonna get," Luke said. Pete handed the gun to the guy with the hat ad he pointed it at Clem. 

"When are y'all gonna learn that's not needed," Duck said under his breath. Duck was thinking of anything to say as they walked to the shed but this was it. As Luke said, this was probably the best they could get. As they opened the door, they made Clementine step inside and left it open for a second before Luke turned his attention to Duck. 

"Now, we believe that this is a lurker bite but you seem pretty adamant on it bein a dog bite. So do you wanna maybe stay in the house or something?" Luke asked and the other guy glared. 

"What? You think that's safe?" 

"I dunno its just... it don't feel right having him stay locked in a shed with a potential lurker, ya know?" Luke said. 

"Why would I have to worry?" Duck asked. "It's just a dog bite as I said. If that don't convince ya'll then it's hopeless," Duck said as he walked into the shed with Clementine and watched the doors close on them. 

"You know, it probably would've been a good idea to go with them," Clementine stated and Duck looked at her with a confused look. 

"Why?"

"Cause if they aren't gonna treat me then I'll do it myself. You coulda stole the supplies from inside the house. They probably wouldn't question you going to the bathroom or something," She said and Duck smiled. 

"You know, you always seem so nice and yet you're over here talking about stealing supplies,"

"I wouldn't have to if they just treated me in the first place. As I said, we could've been gone already," Clementine said as she turned from him. "Now help me make a little hole to crawl out of here,"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the shed, Clementine and Duck think of what to do next. They can't just wait around after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say except if you've got some criticism for this chapter, I'd be happy to to read it. It's been a while since I've refreshed on season two after all. This is kinda short and I only edited this once :P

"Don't you think he shoulda been able to tell a dog bite from a walker bite?" Duck asked as he propped himself on the workbench. He honestly couldn't help but be a little skeptical of these people. Was he even a real doctor? His mom was a vet but he's pretty sure if she were alive, she'd be able to tell what bit Clementine. 

"I've never been the judge of something like that so I can't really say. I dunno maybe he's never seen a dog bite," Clementine said as she looked around and started pulling at a wooden pallet that was nailed to the wall, most likely covering a hole. "Ugh, that's not gonna work," 

"What're you trying to do?" Duck asked as he leaned on his arms a bit more. 

"I'm trying to get out of here. Don't you remember? If they're not gonna help me, then I need to do it myself,"

"Oh. I thought that plan was out the window when I decided to stay with you," Duck said and Clementine smiled at him. 

"I think it made it harder but its okay. You didn't know what I was thinking anyways. I woulda snuck out and tried to find where you were staying in the house so nothings too different," She said and continued looking for what he guessed was another way out or something to get the pallet off.

"So, if I'm thinking correctly, you wanna go? By yourself? Not even sending me to get the supplies instead?" Duck asked. She gave him an annoyed look and she rolled her eyes at him as she looked up on a shelf. 

"I can do it myself. I passed out earlier but I feel totally fine now," She said, sounding a bit tired at having to explain that. He felt a little hurt. Did she not think he was capable? Why? Does she think he can't sneak well or something?

"I know you can do things yourself and I'm not saying you can't," He said as he watched her jump up, trying to reach the hammer that was on the high shelf. "What I am saying is that I'm worried you might pass out again and until you get medical attention, I'll keep worrying about that," He continued as he slid off the workbench and reached up for the hammer, grabbing it by its handle and handing it to her. "I'm just trying to help you, do you not think I can help you?" He said and she took the hammer from him.

"I think you're more than capable of a lot of things. It's just..." She trailed off. "What??" Duck asked. "I was out for a bit. Each time I was out, you were taking the responsibility of everything that happened and you tried protecting me from anything that could hurt me, even if the things that could've hurt me were those people," She said and smiled at him. "I just feel a little helpless, that's all. I wanna take some responsibility," She knelt next to a wood plank before removing the nails that held it in place. 

"Yeah that makes sense. Just be careful," He said as he watched her crawl through the hole in the shed. Well, this is a good thing he thinks. At least he can hold down the fort while she's gone and make sure none of those walkers get in here. He was still a little worried for Clementine. She was hurt and these people didn't really like either of them but at least... Oh no. He heaved out a breath as his stomach dropped. They believe Clementine is bit. If they see her snooping around, they might think she's already turned and escaped the shed. He let out another deep breath and dropped down to try and crawl out of the shed after her only to be stopped by a walker attempting to crawl its way inside. He let out a small gasp as he backed away from the opening, getting as far away from the walker as possible. His heart dropped as he thought of another despair inducing thought. He didn't have a weapon. Clementine had a hammer and she had the pocket knife. He quickly looked around the shed for anything he could get and was shit out of luck. He can't die like this, not when Clementine would be stuck with him once she came back. 

The walker was pretty slow so Duck just had to wait for it to come to his side before he could hop on the workbench and maybe have enough time to crawl out the shed and run to the house. Maybe he'll get help if a walker is after him. However, as he thought of the hole in the shed, he thought of the wooden pallet as well and came up with a plan. Along with the wooden seat attached to the wall, it's all about timing. It was worth a shot. As soon as the walker got close enough, he hopped on the workbench and got to the other side, grabbing the wooden seat attached to the wall and bringing it down, which made the walker stumble and fall. While it was on the ground, he picked up the pallet and kicked the walker on it's chest so that it was flat on the ground, dropping the pallet on it's head three times before he thought that it was finally dead. He stood there for what felt like forever and let out shaky breaths and as he turned around, he came face to face with Clementine, which made his heart jump. 

"Oh Jesus Christ!" He exclaimed as he dropped the pallet fully and clutched at his heart. "What the hell?" She was silent for a moment as she looked behind him and saw the walker. 

"How'd you kill it?" 

"I used the pallet," Duck explained. "It was pure luck. I got it to fall and then I kicked it on its back so I smashed its head in," He explained further and she nodded. 

"That.. must've been scary," She said and he smiled at her. 

"It's okay-"

"Did you get bit?" She asked and that's when he realized she was still super close to the hole, halfway crouching as if she was ready to leave. 

"No," He stated as he showed her his arms, pulled up his pants legs and showed her his torso and back for good measure. "I'm fine, see?" He said. At this point, she was fully in the shed again and was standing up straight. At least he has her trust again. "...Are you okay? You got everything you need?"

"Yeah," She said as she showed him the supplies she managed to make out with. It was enough. She set it on the workbench as she was careful not to step on the walker. Duck walked over to the hole in the shed and placed the bloody pallet back over it. He really didn't want to have to deal with another walker, especially since Clementine was about to have stitches and stuff and will most likely scream or at least cry out. He'd be surprised if she didn't but either way it was nice to block the hole while he had the chance. "Do you know how to do any of this?" She asked him, which gave him a shock but he still smiled at her regardless. 

"I'm sorry, Clem. I really don't," He answered and she seemed disappointed but not as surprised. 

"It was a longshot anyways," She said as she turned back to her supplies that sat on the workbench. She rolled up her sleeve and took a deep breath. "If any walkers try to get in, you're gonna kill them for me, right?"

"Of course," He said as he took the hammer that she had and smiled. "I've actually got a weapon this time so I won't have a problem," 

"Good," She said and she hissed. She hadn't even started yet but she already knew that this was going to hurt really bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story may seem like a dumpster fire but I promise it's gonna get better and diviate from the og plot later bare with me

Clementine had finished up her arm but that doesn't mean that she's better. They both had no sense of medical knowledge and Duck was incredibly worried about her. What if this makes it more infected? Infections a pretty big deal, even if it's not the walker type. She doesn't look too bad right now. Trust and believe, he's paying close attention to the state she's in. However, she's in obvious pain if her grabbing at her arm and not letting it go is any indication. He expected it. There was no way that she wouldn't be. He tried to get a look outside to see how much more time they had to wait to be let out. It was still dark as hell. It wasn't like he didn't try to open the doors after Clementine was good. After all, there's no reason to wait around until morning anymore, right? Unfortunate for the both of them, they blocked the shed doors with something. "You seem restless," He heard her soft voice say, forcing him to look back to her. 

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't want to be here once they find that we took their medical supplies,"

"It's not like I took all of it. There's still leftovers on the bench," 

"I know but still," He said and Clementine hummed. She was thinking about what to say next, no doubt trying to think of another way to get him to calm down a little. He was fidgety ever since she came back to the shed and he kept looking around the shed. Not so much walking around and touching everything, more like looking around and thinking about whatever he was thinking about. He was uncharacteristically quiet and she wasn't used to that. Could it be..? 

"Are you still worried about me?" She asked and Duck looked at her again and smiled. She could feel herself smile at him in return. It was a relief seeing it after he had been so quiet for so long. 

"Yeah," He said, letting out a breath. "I dunno," He said. She couldn't help but pick up the tiredness in his voice. 

"You know, you can go to sleep," She said and he let out a small laugh. It wasn't out of humor but she couldn't tell what it was. 

"No thanks," He said and he unconsciously looked to the body on the floor and the wooden pallet blocking the hole. He's unsettled. How could she help him feel comfortable? She remembers that he'd always tell a joke to help her smile but that was his thing he did to help her. So what was hers to help him? The only thing she's ever done was talk him through anything that hurt him or hold his hand. So she got up and walked over to him and sat down beside him. He looked over at her and smiled. "Whatcha doin?" 

"You're not feeling well, are you?" 

"No, I feel fine. If you're still worried about if that walker hurt me, I can-"

"No, that's okay," She said and she shifted her body so that most of her weight was leaning on him. He didn't seem to expect that but quickly recovered turned more into her and lay on her head as she laid on him. Clementine proved herself right, he was really tired. If the way that his breathing slowing down was any indication at least. She knew that he wasn't asleep and might not even go to sleep but the fact she was to make him stop fidgeting and stop his anxiety and worries from getting any worse was good enough for her. It didn't surprise her how he was acting though. Her getting bit and then these people taking them only to threaten her life while she was unconscious and forcing him to be her defense only for them to be locked in a shed together and on top of that, having to think quickly on what to use to kill a walker when he had nothing. It wasn't even that long of being separated from Christa and they've both nearly died with the only saving grace being luck and luck itself. They were as safe as they could be right now but if Duck did fall asleep, she'd stay awake. 

___________________________________________

Duck's dreams were plagued that night due to everything that happened today. His brain drifted off to when Clementine was bit by the dog then it shifted to his mother, the only correlation being a bite and guilt that it happened in the first place. It wasn't even dreams, it was more like memories that were blurred from the time that had passed. How many years since his mom got bit? Four maybe? It was cold out has his birthday passed? Is he fifteen now or still fourteen? How old is Clementine? Twelve? Thirteen? Her birthday is in November so it's supposed to be cold, right? Either way, it looked like it was Fall now so her birthday is soon. He should get her something even if it's just something that's found in the woods or on a dead walker. His mind couldn't stay on one track for too long, even if he was sleeping. Throughout the rest of the night, his mind switched from idea to idea with the correlation only hanging on by a thread. 

\------------------------------------

The shed doors startled him awake from the loud sound it produced. He looked at the doors groggily only to be met by horrified and then angry expressions. He could feel Clementine get up quickly which prompted him to do the same, even if he felt light headed as he did. He stood up way too fast. "You stole from us?!" An angry voice said but he couldn't really figure out who had said that. He hears more angry muttering amongst them and looked over at Clementine. She may have been angry but he already had a bad impression with them so he decided to take the fall for it. He pushed Clementine gently behind him and glared at the group. By the look on Clementine's face, she didn't expect that and hadn't known what he was thinking that time. 

"Well do you blame us?" Duck started off saying. "We had no choice. Clementine had already fainted and she was going to get worse if we didn't do anything. You left her out here to die even when we both explained to you what happened. And if I'm going to be 100% truthful," He scoffed, no longer trying to get heat off of Clementine and instead letting out all the frustrations that built inside of him while they were locked in the shed. "I would think that a doctor would be able to tell a human bite from a dog bite. For god's sake, even when they're infected, walker teeth doesn't even change all that much! And-" He was cut off when Clementine pulled at his shirt. 

"That's enough now," Clementine said and she looked at the group. "We're sorry from stealing but Duck's a little right. I was never infected but even if I was you let Duck to share a shed with someone you thought was bitten. At that point, it's just frustrating that you all thought that he would've been so stubborn to lock himself in here with me just to prove a point," She said and the one she remembers, Luke, looked guilty as hell.

"It doesn't matter," Said the only woman of the group. "They still stole from us! Do you seriously think we can trust them..?" 

"Oh shut up," Pete countered her. "They did what they had to and with everything they've just said to us, I don't blame them," It was quiet for a moment before the doctor, Carlos, said something. 

"I'll take a look at her arm to see if she's done it correctly," He said, turning away from the group and having everyone follow. Except for Luke. When they both managed out of the shed, he finally spoke what was on his mind. 

"Are you guys hungry?" He asked. Clementine didn't answer him and kept moving forward. Duck did the same but allowed himself to give him a fleeting look before moving into the house with Clementine. 

\------------------------

Duck was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the surface as Clementine was getting her bite re-stitched. Nick and Luke had followed them into the kitchen with Luke pacing and Nick leaning against the wall. "How's she look?" Luke spoke first. 

"Her suturing skills need some work but otherwise, I'd say she'll be fine," 

"So it wasn't a luker bite?" He asked further. 

"If it was, the fever would've already set in and her temperature would be through the roof," Carlos said and Nick stormed out of the kitchen. Duck couldn't help but latch onto that as he watched Luke chase after him. Did he want Clementine to be a walker? Was he just that trigger happy that he was angry that Clementine wasn't a threat? "I wish you wouldn't've done what you did," They heard Carlos say as he washed his hands in the sink. 

"We had no choice," Clementine said and Carlos shook his head. 

"You did so. We locked you in there because we considered you a threat, which you were. Maybe you still are. We put you in that shed out of concern for our safety and our loved ones. I'm not sure which one of you stole from us, you keep saying 'we'. However, one of you persuaded my daughter to help!" He said, growing increasingly madder. By what he said, it looked like Sarah didn't give any clues about who snuck in the house either. "I'll give both of you the benefit of the doubt but there's a few things you guys need to learn about her," He turned to them. "She isn't like you," He said, pointing to Clementine. "And never gonna be like you," He said, pointing to Duck. "Neither of you will get that initially but if you're around her for a while, you'll understand. If she knew how the world really was, she would cease to function. She's my little girl and she's all I have left and I would ask that you stay away from her," He finished, waiting for an answer from either Duck or Clementine. 

"I'm sorry," Clementine said and Carlos accepted that from her. However, he turned to Duck, who had yet to speak. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," 

"You're both forgiven but I would advise against any more mistakes," And with that, he left the kitchen at the same time Luke came back in. 

"I brought you both some food if ya'll are hungry," He said, putting a bowl in front of Duck and setting another one beside him. Clementine took that spot beside him and they started eating. "That's gonna leave one helluva scar," He commented, nodding to Clementine's now bandaged scar. 

"Yeah, but it's okay. Scars can be cool in a way," She said and Duck smiled at the humor she gave. It didn't last long before Nick came back in and made his way over to Clementine. 

"Hey, look, uh..." He started off. "I just wanna say I'm sorry for.. well for bein a dick out there. I got kinda aggro and that was definitely not cool," He said. 

"Nick's been known to go off every once in a while, don't hold it against him," Luke explained and Clementine gave a sigh. 

"You were just protecting your friends, I get it," Clementine said as she felt her heart swell and looked at Duck. "It's like with Duck," She said and Duck stopped eating as he seemed to pay attention again. "He's usually so kind and funny but then I was hurt and he probably said some things that were out of line when I was passed out. I don't know but I'm sure he's sorry too," She said as she patted his thigh, prompting him to say it. 

"Yeah, I get it," He said. "I tend to get really angry sometimes," 

"Either way, I didn't mean to be so harsh. We just had a bad experience once," Nick said and it got quiet. 

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking," Clementine asked and Nick sat down. 

"Nick lost his mom. We took care of someone who was bit and-" 

"It was my fault," Nick interrupted Luke.

"It was no one's fault," Luke interrupted back. "We thought we could control it but we couldn't. And then she turned and his mom was standin right there when she got attacked. There was nothin we could do about it," Luke finished with the explanation without interruption. 

"Anyways, I hope you two understand," Nick said as he stood. 

"We do," Duck said, as he looked at Nick and smiled sadly. "We've lost people important too," Duck continued, thinking about his parents. 

"Yeah," She said. "I understand feeling like you're responsible," 

"Thanks," Nick said and left. 

"So, since ya'll are pretty much alone, what's your plan?" Luke said, changing the somber tone. 

"Well, we're thinking about moving on," Clementine said and Duck nodded. He didn't have any idea what he wanted to do after this but he was okay with following her lead for now. 

"Ya'll are welcome to stay here. Let yourself get healed up and ya'll can talk about what ya'll want from then," He offered and Clementine looked pensive. 

"Do you think everyone else would be okay with that?" She asked and Luke smiled. 

"They'll just have to deal with it. I don't think its safe for you or your boyfriend to go out there now," "He's not my boyfriend," Clementine mumbled and Luke gave a laugh "Sorry about that. So, the guilt you talked about... is it because of your parents too?" Luke asked and Clementine shook her head. 

"No, just a guy who had a good heart..." She said before continuing. "My actual parents went to Savannah and never came back. They left me with a babysitter but she died. We tried to find them but they were already dead," She said and noticed Duck was now paying more attention to the conversation. "The man I mentioned was named Lee. He took care of me. We met up with survivors and we all tried to make it but it didn't work. The only survivors from that group are me and Duck and maybe Christa," She finished and Duck put his bowl on the table before speaking after her. 

"She's right. I used to be apart of our original group with my mom and dad. But, you know," Duck explained, trailing off. 

"I'm sorry for the both of you," Luke said and Pete walked into the kitchen. 

"I hate to interrupt but I can't help but notice we still got a few hours of night and this place is lit up like a beacon in the middle of the woods. In the morning, we'll go and catch some fish for breakfast so get a little more shut eye while ya can. I'll make a spot on the couch for you both," Pete said as he left the kitchen and Luke followed. 

"Are ya finished, Clem?" Duck asked, pointing to her bowl of food and she nodded before he stacked it with his and stood up. "Come on then," He said and they made their way into the living room.


End file.
